Edward ii



(No Model.)

B. H. COBB. KEYHOLE GUARD.

No. 600,304. Patented Mam. 8,1898.

M M E UNiinn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDIVARD II. COBB, OF W'ESTMINSTER, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALFTO IVILLIAM N. COX, OF SAME PLACE.

KEYHOLE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,304, dated March 8,1898.

Application filed May 21, 1897.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDW'ARD II. COBB, residing at Vestminster, in thecounty of 0conee and State of South Carolina, have invented a new anduseful Keyhole-Guard, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of a keyholeguard, and has for its objectto furnish the trade and the public with a device of this class whichshall be cheap and simple in construction, easily operated, easilyattached to or detached from a door, and safe and sure when in use.

With this object in View my invention consists in certain details in theconstruction, arrangement, and combination of the parts, as will behereinafter described, and afterward specifically pointed out in theclaims.

In order that persons skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains may be able to construct and use the same, I will now proceedto describe it in detail, having reference to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of theoutside of a house with a door upon the inside of which my invention hasbeen applied. Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation, representing aportionof the door with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a similar viewillustrating a slightly-modified form of my invention. Fig. 4 is atransverse section on the plane indicated by the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Like letters of reference mark the same parts wherever they occur in thevarious fig ures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by letters, A is a door of any ordinary,well-known, and approved construction.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown a door in which a mortise-lock isinserted, while in Fig. 3 I have shown a door to which the ordinaryrim-lock has been attached, said rim-lock be ing marked A.

B is a keyhole. (Represented in full lines in Fig. 1 and in dotted linesin Figs. 2 and 3.)

O is a plate pivoted at O on the inside of the door adjacent to thekeyhole, preferably a short distance above it, and provided with aprojecting pin 0 at its lower end. The central portion of this plate issufficiently wide Serial No- 637,560. (No model.)

to cover the keyhole and leave some little margin on either sidethereof. Beneath this plate,either upon the face of the door or seatedin a recess therein, is a spring-piece D, secured by a screw D, andhaving a projection D to the right of the plate 0, when said plate is inthe position shown in full lines in Figs. 2 and 3 and covering thekeyhole, which serves to prevent said plate from moving off the keyholeto the right. To the left of the plate 0 is a projection D which may bebeveled on the side toward the key, but must be perpendicular on itsextreme left-hand side. This projection serves to permit the readymovement of the plate, when desired, to the position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 3, in which position said plate will be secured againstthe abrupt end of the projection D Upon the free end of the plate D is apushbutton D which projects through an opening in a keeper orsecuring-plate E, attached to the door by means of screws E, the upperone of which in the construction shown in Fig. 3 may be one of thescrews for securing the rim-lock to the door. The plate 0 is preventedfrom accidentally rising from the spring-plate D by means of a guard F,secured to the door and under which the plate moves, as clearly shown inFigs. 2 and 3. This guard-plate O is normally held in the position shownin full lines in Figs. 2 and 3, in which position the keyhole is coveredby a spring G, secured at one end to the plate and at the other end tothe door, the securing means being ordinarily a staple G, as in Fig. 3.

H is an elastic bar secured to the door be low the keyhole by means of ascrew II, passing through a coil in the center of said bar, each end ofsaid bar being provided with a ring or loop, the lower one being markedH and the upper one 1-1 A cord or flexible cable I is secured in thelower loop and passes through the staple G and the staple G, and fromthence through the hole J through the door to the outside, where it maybe attached to a secret slide or latch (not herein shown) known only tothe occupant of the house, whereby the guard-plate C may be operatedfrom the outside. This hole may be protected by a plate or escutcheon,if desired.

The operation of my invention may be described as follows: Assuming theparts to be in the position shown in Fig. 2, with the guard-plate Olying over and effectually covering up the keyhole,it will only benecessary in order to uncover the keyhole from the outside to press thebutton D which will depress the spring plate D and release theguard-plate O of the restraint of the projection D when it can bereadily pushed to the left into the position shown in dotted lines inFig. 3, when the keyhole will be uncovered. This adjustment of theguard-plate O to the a left may also be accomplished without depressingthe spring-plate D by simply pushing the guard-plate to the left, when,by riding over the incline or bevel of the projection D it will depressthe spring-plate in its passage, and when the abrupt end of the projection D is reached the spring-plate will by its own resiliency moveoutward and spring the projection D into position on the right of theguard-plate, thus holding it in its adj usted position and leaving thekeyhole uncovered. This operation may be performed from the outside bysimply pulling upon the cord from the outside. To spring the guard-plate0 back into the position shown in full lines, in which position thekeyhole is covered, it is only necessary to release the guard-plate G ofthe restraint of the projection D on the spring-plate D by pressing thebutton D when the guard-plate will be moved to the right by means of thespring G.

The advantages of my improved keyhole guard will be obvious from theforegoing description. It will be readily seen that my in ventionprovides absolute security against the insertion of a false key into thelook from the outside as well as the inspection of the contents and theactions of the occupants of the room through the keyhole. At the sametime the keyhole may be readily uncovered by persons possessing theright to uncover it,

and the device being extremely cheap and simple may be readily securedupon the door by any ordinary person, not requiring the expensiveservices of a skilled mechanic.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a keyhole-guard the combination with a guard-plate pivoted to theinside of the door in position to cover the keyhole, of a spring-latchsecured to the door under the guard-plate and provided with projectionsto secure the guide-plate in either its operative or inoperativeposition and a perforated keeper for the free end of said spring-plate,said spring-plate being provided with a pushbutton projecting from theperforations in said keeper, substantially as set forth.

2. In a keyhole-guard the combination With a guard-plate pivoted to thedoor in position to cover the keyhole, a spring-plate secured at one endto the door under the guard-plate and provided with a projection havingone inclined and one abrupt side and a guard or keeper secured to thedoor and projecting over the guard-plate to prevent it rising from thedoor, substantially asset forth.

3. In the keyhole-guard herein described the combination with theguard-plate pivoted to the door, the keeper attached at one end to'thedoor and projecting over the guard.- plate, the spring secured to theguard-plate and the door for holding the guard-plate normally in itsoperative position, the springla-tch secured to the door under theguardplate, the elastic lever pivoted to the door and attached to theguard-plate at its free end and the cord attached to the opposite end ofsaid lever and passing through the door, substantially as described.

EDWARD H. COBB.

Witnesses:

O. E. MAsoN, F. M. Onoss.

